Electric switch.



L. W. WIPPERMAN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.30. 1916.

1,279,815,.' Patented Sept. 24, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L. W. WIPPER MAN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. ms.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- I l x i a ly; 3/ 3 3/; 32

Patented Sept. 24, 1918. v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS w. wrrrnmvmn, or BUFFALO; new YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 24., 1918.

Application filed August 30, 1916. Serial No. 117,573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS W. WIPPERMAN, a citizen of the United States residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is aspecification. This invention relates to an electric switch which is more particularly designed for use in connection with a device for-automatically turning on the electric lights when an unauthorized intruder enters a building, thereby causing him to be scared awe. and also warning the occupants of the building or persons nearby.

The figure in the accompanying drawings is a diagrammatic view of one form of my" improved burglar alarm combined wi-th the usual lighting system of a building.

Similar characters of: reference indicate corresponding parts throughout'the'several views.

1, 2, 3, e represent a number of electric lamps, and 5 the main electric generator or other electric power source from which the lamps are lighted and which may be either a direct or-an alternating current. One lead wire 6 connects one side of each of said lamps with one side of the power line, the other side of each lamp being electrically connected with the other side ofthe main generator by the branch line 7 of a lead line 8. A main electric switch 9 is arranged in each branch line 7, so that when any one of the main switches 9 is @closed, the corresponding lamp or lamps which are connected with said closed switch are turned on. The lighting system so far described is typical of what may be used in regular lighting installation.

Each of the branch wires 7 is connected at some point between the respective lamp and itscorresponding main switch 9 by a shunt or auxiliary switch wire 10 withthat side of the generator 5 to which the lead line 8 is connected. Each of these auxiliary switch wires may be opened and closed by an auxiliary switch which may be of any suitable construction but as shown in the drawings may consists of two fixed switch contacts 11, 11 connected with sections of the wire 10 and a movable contact 12 adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from the fixed contacts.

If any one or all of the companion au'xilthe lamps 1, 2, 3, 4 would be turned on irrespective entirely of the main switches 9. This closing of the circuits is preferably accomplished automatically by the following means when the intruder enters the buildmg z- 13 represents a switch board of any suitable insulating material on which the fixed contacts 11, 11 are arranged so that the corresponding contacts are in line. Arranged to slide on the switch board is a switch bar 14 composed of a suitable non-conducting material. and guided on the switch board by means of screws 15 passing through longitudinal slots 16 formed in said switch bar and into the switch board. This switch bar carriesthe several movable. switch contacts 12 each of which can electrically close one of the auxiliary circuits by engaging a pair of companion fixed switch contacts 11, 11, when the switch bar is lowered. Preferably secured to the upper partof said switch bar is a cross bar 17, near each outer end of which is pivoted a detent hook or catch 18. Each of said catches is provided at its upper extremityiwith an inwardly extending detaining nose 19 arranged to normally engage the upper face of a fixed shoulder or lug 20 extending forwardly from the switch board.

In this position of the detent catches the switch bar is prevented from moving downwardly and the auxiliary switches are all held open so that the lamps may be operated only by their main switches 9 in the usual the same in th solenoid o-r helical coil '24:

which draws up the plunger 23 whenever an electric current passes through this coil, thereby causing the bell crank levers to be turned and the detent hooks to be moved out of engagement from the shoulders 20 and the switch bar to dropwhich closes all the axuiliary switches and lights all the lamps; In series with the solenoid 2% is a secondary electric current source 5% which,

energizes the solenoid when a relay switch 25 is closed, and this happens whenever current passes through the electro-magnet coil 26 of the relay the armature 27 of which carries the movable contact of the switch 25. One terminal of the electro-magnet 26 is connected, in series with one side of the secondary generator or current source 54c by a line 28 containing an electric alarm bell 29. The other terminal of the electro-magnet 26 is connected in parallel with the other side of the secondary generator 5e by a plurality of branch lines 30 each of which contains a detecting switch 31 and an annunciator 32. These detecting switches may be of any suitable form, their function being to close the circuit whenever an unauthorized entry into the building is made and. this may be accomplished by any suitable switches applied to doors, gates or windows, or concealed under carpets or door mats or stretched between trees.

Thus when one of the detector switches 31 is closed, the corresponding annunciator 32 operates, the bell 29 rings, the relay 26, 27 causes the relay switch 25 to close, thereby energizing the solenoid 24. hen this occurs the auxiliary switch bar 14 drops, and contact ismade between each movable switch contact 12 and its companion pair of fixed switch contacts 11, 11, so that all of the lamps l, 2, 3, Al connected therewith are turned on and the intruder is alarmed by the general illumination.

An ordinary alarm bell will usually not stand a very heavy current or voltage, so the prime function of the'relay is to shunt the current away from the bell, the instant the relay switch 25 is closed. For this purpose the solenoid 24 is wound with a low resistance and the coil 26 of the relay with a high resistance, so that when the relay switch 25 closes, the bulk of the current will pass through the solenoid 24' and only a small amount through the bell 29, enough preferably however to keep the bell sounding loudly.

I claim as my invention:

An electric switch comprising a base, a plurality of fixed contacts arranged in two parallel rows on said base, a longitudinallymovable carrier arranged between said rows and guided on said base, a plurality of transverse bridge contacts arranged on said carrier and each adapted to engage with a pair of corresponding contacts in said rows, a pair of shoulders arranged 011 opposite parts of said base, a air of latches pivoted on said carrier and engaging respectively with said shoulders for holding the carrier in a position in which the bridge contacts are disengaged from said base contacts, a spring connecting said base and carrier and operating to move the latter in a direction in which the contacts thereon are engaged with said base cont-acts, a pair of bell-crank levers pivoted on said base and having their outer arms engaging respectively with the inner sides of said latches while their inner arm's overlap each other, and an electric motor comprising a solenoid core which is connected with the inner arms of said levers and a coil which receives said core.

LOUIS W. WIPPERMAN. 

